The subject matter disclosed herein relates to elevator systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to inspection and maintenance of travelling cables for an elevator system.
Elevator systems typically include one or more elevator cars movable along a hoistway. To provide electrical power for lighting and sound, communications, and other functions such as connections between a car operating panel and the control system of the elevator system which is located generally inside the hoistway, a travelling cable is located in the hoistway with one end connected to, for example, the control system, and another end operably connected to the elevator car.
The travelling cable must be periodically inspected for conditions such as wear or shorts, and/or the travelling cable is replaced when needed. In current systems, portions of the travelling cable are inspected by maintenance personnel entering the hoistway and accessing the travelling cable from the top of the elevator car. Still other portions of the travelling cable, such as the portion below the elevator car, are only accessible for inspection by maintenance personnel entering the pit at the bottom of the hoistway. It is desired, however, to perform maintenance operations from inside of the car, and eliminate the need for maintenance personnel to enter the hoistway pit and consequently suppress the need for a safety volume and advantageously reduce the hoistway impact on the building thus saving space.